Lessons in Romance
by mangawolfgirl96
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and our two favorite Love Me girls are resigned to endure more unoriginal attempts at romance. Or are they? KyokoxRen & Kanae&Yashiro. T for language and innuendos. Loosely related to An Unforgettable Halloween.
1. Lesson 1

Hey y'all! Here's the beginning of my Valentine's Day three-shot. I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Lesson 1:<strong> Romantic Plots and Feminine Advice

Kotonami Kanae couldn't believe she had been roped into helping her best friend Mogami-soon-to-be-Hizuri Kyouko move into the new house she and her fiancé Kuon had recently purchased together. Kanae was an award winning actress, damn it. She didn't do manual labor anymore. That was what her boyfriend—and soon-to-be fiancé if the ring she'd found stuffed in one of his socks was anything to go by—was for. The silver eyed woman dropped the last box on the floor of the master bedroom unceremoniously and flopped on the bed with a groan. It had been years since she'd worked that hard and she was exhausted. Kanae perked up a little as her amber eyed friend came in with two glasses of tea. She took hers gratefully and gulped it down.

Kyouko smiled and gave her friend a hard hug. "Thank you, Moko."

"Mo, you're welcome." The raven haired actress reluctantly returned the hug, before turning to the box. It was supposedly full of all the albums the other actress had kept over the years. "Now, it's time to find some blackmail so that I can actually spend time with my best friend after that big lug marries her."

Said woman laughed, but didn't bother to refute the fact that the Kanae was right. Kuon eagerly monopolized almost all her free time when he could, and it had been a bit overwhelming at first, but it also made Kyouko feel loved that her man was possessive of her. Not that she'd ever tell him that. Her blonde idiot had a healthy enough ego as it was.

Kanae tore open the box and extract the top album. Unlike the older albums, this one wasn't dusty in the least and had been looked through often. On the spine was a piece of tape indicating that it was from the year after Kyouko and Hizuri had started dating, and she cracked it open carefully. While the woman had flipped through photo albums with her friend before—especially on their monthly girl's night—Kanae had never looked through this particular one before. It held some of Kyouko's most precious photos. The silvery eyed actress looked at her friend and waited for the other woman's nod before she began looking at the pictures.

The first photo was of Kyouko and Ren kissing at midnight on New Year's Day, glass of champagne in hand and many people waving and grinning at the camera in the background. Yashiro Yukihito, Kanae's long time boyfriend, could be seen in the back with a wide grin as he held up his cell phone to take a picture of his own. The next photo showed Yashiro staring in horror at his cell phone as he realized he'd touched it without his glove on and had thus not only missed the picture perfect moment but had also destroyed yet another cell phone. The third picture featured Kanae, Yashiro, Kyouko, Kuon, the Takaradas, and the other Love Me girl, Amamiya Chiori, clinking glasses and smiling for the camera. In the background the older Hizuris grinned and made bunny ears behind their son and adopted daughter's heads.

Kanae laughed and held up the picture for her friend to see. Kyouko smiled and gently took the album flipping through the pages rapidly. "If you thought that was funny, just wait until you see the one…here!" She stopped and held up the book so Kanae could see the photos. The amber eyed woman pointed to one photo in particular.

The silver eyed woman squinted at the picture. It showed a couple—a blonde woman with green eyes in an anime t-shirt and a black haired, black eyed giant of a man wearing a hoodie that shadowed his face—in front of what appeared to be an amusement park. The woman held cotton candy and had her arm looped through the man's. He looked less than happy to be there, but worked up a grimace that Kanae supposed could pass for a smile. For several moments, the actress couldn't understand why Kyouko had this picture in her album. Then she realized that the otaku shared the same face as her best friend. Upon closer look, the man looked almost exactly like Hizuri. She couldn't believed she missed the opportunity to spy on her best friend and her then boyfriend.

"That giant doesn't have an original bone in his body, does he?" Kanae teased.

Kyouko snorted. "You think he actually thought of that himself? Otou-san suggested it. Okaa-san told him to take me on the Ferris wheel and kiss me on the top. That was our first Valentine's Day too."

Her friend tried to put on a sympathetic face, but her lips kept twitching with suppressed mirth. It was just too hilarious. The man once known as Japan's Most Eligible Bachelor was just as hopeless in romance as the rest of the male population. Well, at least Kyouko didn't seem to mind. That was what really mattered. But geez, couldn't the big idiot at least _try_ to be original once in a while? That would probably make Kyouko happier than anything else. Might not excite his parents or Yashiro as much though, since they were Hizuri's man source of advice and by asking that advice they got insight into the two actors' relationship. Kanae was probably the second person who knew Hizuri was going to propose to her best friend before the thought had even crossed said woman's mind. That big idiot had thought asking relationship idiot Yashiro for advice about proposing was a good idea. Kuu-san would've been a much better choice. He'd actually proposed and _succeeded_.

Thus Kanae had long since come to a conclusion: Men were idiots. A prime example of which was the cold war between Kanae's man and Kyouko's man. Both were too stubborn to apologize, and neither was about to forgive the other.

"Tell me there's more and I can have copies."

Kyouko chuckled and nodded, retrieving a copy from behind the original photo. Kanae snatched it and went to grab her purse from the dining table. She tucked the picture into a back pocket and returned to the bedroom with the purse in hand.

They spent hours laughing themselves silly at the pictures and sharing stories about good dates, bad dates, sweet times, and romantic fails. It seemed their men had more in common than the same schedule and a thing for women who didn't believe in love.

Kanae glanced at her watch and groaned seeing the time. "I've got to get home. Yukihito has this big thing planned tonight for Valentine's Day and he'll cry if I don't give him the chocolate I made him. Can you believe I had to hide in the bathroom so he wouldn't eat it early?" She rolled her eyes at the thought. "Anyway, does Hizuri Jr. have anything planned?"

"No," Kyouko murmured, more disappointed than she'd let on. "He's busy filming a new episode of 'It Takes a Village'. You know, the one about a single dad who gets help from the people of his hometown in raising his four year old daughter?"

The silver eyed actress scowled. "The one with that man-eating, boyfriend stealing bitch Kagesawa Ai as his love interest? She's had her eye on Hizuri Jr. ever since he revealed his real name." It didn't help that both Kyouko and her fiancé had insisted on keeping their engagement a secret until after the wedding in three months.

"Yes." The amber eyed actress's eyes narrowed and her face contorted into an angry scowl. "Kuon's been brushing her off—_repeatedly _—but she won't take no for an answer. After their location shoot last week, I found a pair of her underwear in his overnight bag. He didn't see it, but I was so pissed. I had half a mind to hunt her down and strangle her. As it was, I burned the underwear. I've been burning dolls of her every week too."

Kanae hugged her friend. "She's got nothing on you. You're smarter, you're prettier, you're more successful, you're sweeter, and you're twice as sexy and badass as she is."

Laughter burbled from Kyouko's lips, and she hugged her friend back. "I know," she said. "Now, you need to get home before Yashiro starts to worry."

The silver eyed woman gave her friend a critical look before sighing. "Yeah. But if you feel lonely or just want to bash Kagesawa, you call me. I don't care if it's in the middle of dinner or at four past midnight. You will call me."

"I promise I will, Moko. Now go home. If you keep Yashiro waiting too long, he'll start to think you dumped him."

Kanae gave her friend one last hug before she left. Kyouko waited until her front door closed before grabbing her phone and hitting her fourth speed dial. After a few minutes the other line picked up.

"Kyouko-chan? Has Kanae left already?"

"Yep. So you better put a move on it, Yashiro. Or should I start calling you Yukihito-kun?"

The manager chuckled. "Either is fine since you always call Kanae 'Moko'. I'm almost done so she's actually right on schedule. The string's just giving me a bit of trouble. It doesn't want to stay tied around the doorknob."

"So you already have the table set up? Don't light the candles until you hear her try the doorknob otherwise they'll be dripping wax by the time she sits down," Kyouko reminded him. Yashiro had decided to ask her advice for planning his romantic Valentine's Day dinner and Kanae was about to get one hell of a surprise.

"Yes, I know. Have you heard from Kuon today at all?" Yashiro knew how sad Kyouko had been when she learned her fiancé and his charge would be busy with filming all day. He didn't think she'd had a chance to give the actor her chocolate either, which she had spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening making.

The actress pulled her knees up on to the bed and laid back. "No, but I'll see him tonight. It'll be a little later than I like, but it's enough that he gets my chocolate on Valentine's Day." At least, that's what Kyouko told herself.

"Ah, well, I've got to go, but Kyouko-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Kuon loves you more than anything else. Never forget that."

She smiled. "Thank you, Yashiro."

"You're welcome."

They ended the call and Kyouko set her phone down beside her. She curled up with her back to the small device and stared at the far wall. Despite Yashiro's reassurance that her husband-to-be loved her, Kyouko was still miserable.

This was turning out to be the worst Valentine's Day ever.

Kanae waited until she was in her car to put on her Bluetooth and called Hizuri Jr. If it wasn't for the fact that he had this big ol' romantic plot planned, she would've ripped him a new one for making her best friend so sad. She still thought the whole idea was more than a little sappy, but Kyouko loved fairytales and legends and most of those were sappy to Kanae too. She hated to admit it, but Kuon knew Kyouko slightly better than the Kanae did.

"Hello, Kotonami-chan," Kuon said, answering his phone.

"Yeah, yeah, hi to you too. Phase one's complete: she's miserable. I think pride and the knowledge that you love her are the only things keeping Kyouko from crying her eyes out," the actress informed him venomously. "If this doesn't make her deliriously happy and sickly sweet for the next week, I'm going to save her the trouble and kill you myself."

The actor wasn't at all surprised at his bride-to-be's best friend's opposition to his first attempt at original romance. He'd consulted the raven haired actress because while he knew Kyouko better than anyone else, he was totally lost when it came to romance. Sure, he'd acted in plenty of romantic dramas, but he was a novice in reality.

"I've told you before, if I ever make Kyouko unhappy and fail to make her happy again, you're free to take my head off. I deserve it if I hurt her."

"I know," she grumbled, starting her car. That undeserving attitude was one of the reasons why Kanae had reluctantly handed her best friend over to the lug. The second reason was because Kuu-san had given her those big, creepy puppy dog eyes behind his son's back when Junior had asked for her blessing on his and Kyouko's relationship.

"I left the front door unlock, but are you sure this will work? She's a trained actress and can spot an actor more than a mile away."

Kuon grinned on the other end of the phone, and was promptly told to stop by Jelly Woods. "Oh, I'm sure. Remember, I know her one, true weakness."

"Sometimes I wonder if either of you two are truly sane."

"Kotonami-chan, are you complimenting me?"


	2. Lesson 2

**Lesson 2: **Loving Surprises

Kanae rode the elevator up to the apartment she shared with Yashiro—like hell she'd take the stairs after moving boxes all day—and walked leisurely to the door marked PENTHOUSE. Sometimes it was great to be a national, sort of international, celebrity. She turned the knob and was surprised to find it locked. Yashiro must've run out to buy some last minute things. Oh, well, at least his face when he realized she'd arrived while he was gone would be priceless.

The actress stuck her key into the lock and disengaged it before pushing the door open. As she followed the door something above her head exploded and thousands of little paper hearts and rose petals rained down. _The hell…?_

A strip of white paper was just visible under the mountain of romantic provisions and, curious, she picked it up. The writing read: _Go To The Balcony_. It took her a moment to realize that Yashiro hadn't gone out. He was trying to be original but also give her a romantic Valentine's Day. Kanae felt her heart melt a little.

She dusted off the petals and paper and wandered out to the balcony which overlooked the Tokyo cityscape. It was dark now, and the buildings glistened and twinkled with lights, the roads blew similarly alight with red, blurring stars. It was beautiful view and worthy every penny. A table was set with plates of food, glasses of wine, and two lit red candles, but there was no Yashiro. On the edge of the table, sat the little velvet box Kanae found last week in his sock. Hesitantly, she picked it up and opened the lid. Inside was another strip of paper. This one said: _Turn Around_. The woman did and found her boyfriend in a tux and sans his usual glasses, kneeling just outside of the sliding glass door. In his hand was a simple, but elegant engagement ring with a single diamond that was about the size of her pinky nail. It must've cost him a fortune, but what interested her more was the inscription on the inside of the band that hadn't been there before. She couldn't read it from this angle and resisted the urge to grab it from his hand.

"Kotonami Kanae, will you marry me?" Yashiro asked, giving her a hopeful smile.

She threw herself at him and murmured yes into his shoulder as she hugged him. After a few moments she drew back and gave him a smacking kiss. "I love you."

Yashiro grinned at his new fiancée, and gave her a light peck in return. "I love you too."

"What does it say?"

He chuckled, knowing they wouldn't be going anywhere, or doing anything else, until he answered her, even if he'd probably get hit for adding the inscription. "It says 'Kotonami Kanae is now the official property of Yashiro Yukihito'."

"It does not." Her face clearly said she didn't believe him. He held out the ring and she snatched it, reading the inscription herself. "You bastard," she breathed after she finished, staring at him incredulously. "It actual says that."

Kanae wouldn't admit that it made her a teensy, tiny bit happy that Yashiro thought she was worth marking as his so blatantly. But she still didn't like to be referred to as property. As an object. She was more than just a pretty little trophy wife to show off to all his friends. He knew it too, so he expected the angry, but still affectionate, cuff on the back of his head.

"I can't believe you did this," she scolded.

Yashiro knew she wasn't as mad as she seemed about the ring, but wisely didn't say so as the silver eyed woman slipped on the ring. "The food's going to get cold soon."

She nodded and stood, brushing the dirt of her pants. Kanae looked over her fiancé and suddenly felt underdressed in only jeans, sneakers, an old sweater, and a light jacket. Yashiro noticed and told her not to worry. He thought she looked better in casual clothes anyway. He pulled out her chair and waited until she sat down to take his own seat.

"How did you come up with all this, Yukihito?" Kanae asked after a while, knowing that while her new fiancé was smooth he wasn't _that_ smooth. He was as clueless as Hizuri Junior was when it came to actual romance.

Yashiro gave her a sheepish smile and took a sip of wine to fortify himself. "I asked Kyouko-chan for advice."

She stared at him for a long moment before she laughed. "You two are more alike than you think," she said, giving the brunet a smile. "Hizuri asked me for advice about his plan for Valentine's Day."

"Isn't he working all day today?"

The actress smiled over the rim of her wine glass. "That's what he _wants_ you to think."

)

Kyouko stirred and turned over, cracking her eyes open to stare at the ceiling. She must've fallen asleep after Yashiro called. She stretched and checked her phone. It was 6:30 and she had a text from Kuon. He told her not to wait up for him, since he wouldn't be back until late tonight or early tomorrow. The amber eyed actress felt like crying, but didn't. Instead she sat up with the intention of going to the kitchen to get something for dinner.

Then she realized she wasn't alone in the room.

Near the door, a tall man leaned against the wall regarding her calmly with brown eyes. He wasn't dressed for sneaking around in pure white hakama embroidered with red cherry blossoms and crimson hair so he wasn't a robber. Probably.

The woman stared at him for a long moment before concluding she was dreaming. Kanae would've locked the door with the spare key Kyouko had given her, and there was no way such a man could possibly exist. She pinched her cheek and winced at the pain it caused. Okay, maybe it wasn't all a dream.

"Who are you?" she demanded, moving to the other side of the bed. The space gave her a bit of comfort and it also meant she was closer to the window. She could survive jumping out of a second story window into some rose bushes.

The man gave her a sympathetic look as he spoke, "I am the spirit of St. Valentine. On this day, I manifest on this plane to comfort those who have lovers, but for whatever reason cannot share this day with their loved one. Depending on the person's preference, I am a man or woman. You have nothing to fear of me, Mogami-san." He met her gaze squarely. "If you wish to be alone, I will leave."

Kyouko opened her mouth, the words on the tip of her tongue, but nothing came out. She looked at her feet, ashamed. She couldn't deny she was lonely. Was it bad that she wanted him to stay, even if he wasn't actually St. Valentine, just so she could have someone with her? She looked up at him. "What do you usually do?"

"It depends on the person," he said, giving her a reassuring smile that said she wasn't doing anything wrong by not telling him to leave. "Sometimes I simply listen while they talk, sometimes I accompany them out in place of their lover, sometimes I—"

Kyouko interrupted, "But wouldn't going out with them cause a problem? What if someone sees them out with you and tell their lover?"

St. Valentine nodded. "Yes, it would be troublesome if I was seen. That is exactly why no one can see my forms except for the lonely soul I'm comforting unless I chose otherwise, which is extremely rare. So, Mogami-san, what would you like to do with what little is left of this day?"

The actress paused. What did she want to do? She didn't really want to talk about why Kuon wasn't with her today, and getting out would probably do her some good. Kyouko eyed the supposed spirit for a moment before moving to the closet. She grabbed a short, wavy wig of brunette hair and, after positioning her long black hair so that it would all be cover, she put on the wig. She peered at her collection of colored contacts and chose a pair of blue contacts on impulse. They were the same blue as Kuon's eyes. The amber eyed actress carefully put in the contacts and grabbed her coat. Kyouko turned to find herself alone, and for a moment she thought he had abandoned her. But he stepped back into the room just as the thought crossed her mind.

He had changed his appearance. He was still tall and his face and bearing hadn't changed, but his hair was now brunet and he wore a wine red dress shirt, a black sports coat with gold-colored buttons, a pair of charcoal slacks, and dark brown loafers. Those were not the only changes, but Kyouko couldn't quite put her finger on what else had changed. She ignored it for now and gave the man a bright smile.

After a moment, he returned it and motioned for her to go first. The actress did and led him to the garage, where her inconspicuous green sedan was parked. Normally it was kept company by Kuon's silver sports car, but not today. Kyouko searched for her keys and realized they were in her purse still, which sat at the foot of her bed. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about it.

"I'll get it," the man who claimed to be the spirit of St. Valentine said, but Kyouko stopped him. She wasn't sure whether or not to believe her new suspicion, but she'd do her best to find out one way or another. And she was going to give him hell if she was right.

"No, I'll get." She gave the man a smile and went to retrieve her purse. She grabbed it, grabbed her phone, and after a moment of thought, grabbed her digital camera and the chocolate too. The actress was certain it would come in handy, especially if she was right.

When she arrived back in the garage, Kyouko gave the man a wide smile and unlocked her car. She was going to have fun with him. One way or another.


	3. Final Lesson

**Final Lesson: **Revealing the Act

After an hour at her favorite café in downtown Tokyo, an order of hamburger with a fried egg, a small side salad, three cups of coffee, and a hot fudge Sunday, Kyouko was positive that her suspicion was dead on. She had no idea how she'd picked up on it—the act was impeccable—but she had and she fully intended to use that to her advantage.

Their second stop was an amusement park that was open 24/7. The man beside the actress paled slightly, but didn't object as she started dragging him around to the various rides and attractions. His face was more than a little green after the park's main attraction: a roller coaster that went up until the people on the ground looked like ants and then immediately went down again. The whole ride consisted of ten such hills and valleys and traveled at a speed of 70 mph. Kyouko had loved every minute, but her companion had discreetly disappeared to vomit into a trash can. _He should've looked for one farther away_, she mused, wincing as the brunet heaved yet again into the trash can beside a park bench.

Five minutes later, he "reappeared" but didn't complain as Kyouko continued to drag him through the amusement park. For the finale, they rode the Ferris wheel and admired the view of the city. He thought that was the end of the day, but she wasn't done yet.

"Where are we going?" he asked as he realized she wasn't headed home.

She shot him a smile. Kyouko had managed to surprise him for once. "You'll see." She took a left at the next street light, and then a right at the next stop sign. Kyouko kept her eyes trained on the left side of the road, and slowed as she spotted their destination. She parked a few feet from the entrance of the small park, and got out. She'd made it to the top of the jungle gym by the time the brunet had gotten out of the car. He walked slowly to stand in front of where she sat on the top.

Kyouko turned her face to the sky and watched as a single snowflake floated down to earth. Soon, more came until it snowed lightly. She snuggled deeper into her coat and looked down at the man.

"How long have you know?" It was obvious the actress knew since this was the park Kuon had taken her to after their first Valentine's date at the amusement park they had just left.

She grinned down at her grumpy fiancé. "Since I went back to get my purse. I've known you for years, Kuon. I know your voice. I've been wondering though, who was the other actor?"

"You've known that long," Kuon asked slowly, left eye ticking, "and you still dragged me on that rollercoaster _twice_?" He'd upchucked for fifteen minutes—each time—into that damn trash can.

She drew her left knee up and loosened up the laces on her sneaker. She kicked her foot towards the brunet. She was too high up to reach him, but her shoe wasn't. It shot off her foot like a rocket and hit him square in the nose. Kyouko had to smile as he stared incredulously down at the small sneaker in his big hands. Her smile didn't last long though.

"That's for letting me think I'd been dumped for work, you big idiot! I thought you'd be in character right now, making eyes at Kagesawa!"

As he looked up at her, the actress dug the small box of chocolate she'd made for him out of her purse and pitched it at his head. Now that the pleasure of being able to actual spend Valentine's Day with her fiancé had worn off, she was pissed as hell that he'd made her miserable for most of the day because she thought she wouldn't be able to spend it with him.

Kuon caught the small projectile with his offhand and looked at Kyouko as he realized his mistake. He didn't have to give her a legend to make her happy. He tucked the chocolate into his pocket and tossed his fiancée back her shoe as he started to climb the jungle gym. She stared at him, but didn't move even when he reached the top. The amber eyed woman didn't reaction as the man scooped her up and set her in his lap. She just watched him, her expression closed.

He hugged her close, and leveled his mouth with her ear. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I was trying to make you happy." As he drew back, he noticed a silver rectangle in her hands and was blinded as the flash went off. "Did—did you just take a picture of me?"

"To commemorate the stupidest attempt at romance in history." She smiled at his dumbstruck expression, and kissed him. "I forgive you, but only if you promise not to renew your contract for another season of 'It Takes a Village'." She saw the look on his face and scowled. "You already promised another season, didn't you?"

Kyouko saw his defense formulating in his eyes before he said a word. "Yashiro and the president both insisted on doing the next season and I didn't see any reason why not to."

"And you didn't even think to tell me."

"You've never made an opinion one way or the other! I didn't think you cared."

She rubbed her temples. She wouldn't bite his head off. She wouldn't bite his head off. Oh, she was going to bite his head off. "You could've asked! Of course I care when you're costarring with that man-stealing Kagesawa!"

"Man-stealing," he repeated before laughing so hard they almost fell off the jungle gym. Kyouko stared at him before jabbing him in the stomach. He wheezed to a stop and gave his fiancée a dirty look. "You didn't have to hit me. It's just—Kagesawa Ai's not a woman."

She stared at him. "What?"

"Kagesawa, while he plays girl roles, is a guy. Though he is gay."

Kyouko was flabbergasted, but Kuon wasn't. "Were you worried?" She didn't respond. He smiled and prodded some more. "Were you jealous, Kyouko?"

"Let me go," she said, beginning to wrestle in his grip. "Let me go, or I swear I will hurt you."

Kuon let her go, but he knew she had been jealous and it made him happy. The fact that he kept making Kyouko unhappy wasn't as comforting.

She had begun to climb down and instead of trying to navigate the web of bars himself, the man simply jumped off. She ignored him and stomped off to the car. He followed and managed to climb into the passenger seat before she could drive off. The drive was uncomfortably silent for Kuon and Kyouko drove like a madwoman. Not that he blamed her, but he did advise her to slow down once. He deserved to be wrapped around a tree for upsetting her. She didn't.

They made it home in record time, and Kyouko stormed to the garage door. He reached out to stop her, but didn't manage to grab her arm before she opened the door. She stared down at the trail of red rose petals and turned to arch a sculpted brow in her fiancé's direction. He gave her a sheepish smile, muttering a weak, "Surprise."

"Do I want to know?"

Kuon shrugged, and after a moment she decided it couldn't hurt to see where the trail led. She followed it leisurely to the dining room, and found the table set for two with the fine china Otou-san and Okaa-san had given them as an engagement present. Had the whole thing about the St. Valentine spirit been just to get her out of the house so someone could set this up? That was so cheesy and had ended so badly. Kyouko had to smile at the irony. He'd tried so hard that he'd almost made a mess of it all. And the only reason he hadn't been permanently put in her bad books was because he'd been giving her that sad pout in the car. She just couldn't stay upset with him when he used that. It was bad enough when he did it on purpose, but lately Kuon had been using it more and more subconsciously. When they had kids, she hoped they didn't inherit that pout, otherwise they were going to be spoiled rotten.

Her man came up behind her and wrapped one arm around her waist while his opposite hand took off her wig. Her hair, soft as down, spilled over her shoulders. It had grown long over the years, and she barely remembered to cut it anymore.

"Happy Valentine's Day, honey, and thank you for the chocolate," he murmured into her hair.

She turned in his arms and, for a moment, Kuon thought she might slap him. Then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him long and hard. He took that as a sign he wasn't in trouble anymore, and returned the kiss. Only the need for air drove them apart and they grinned at each other, resting their forehead together.

Kyouko threaded her hands into his blonde hair and looked into his beautiful blue eyes set in his handsome face. He must've taken off his costume while she had been following the flower petals. "Should we just skip the food or do you want to eat some dessert?"

"I think I'll have you as dessert."

She laughed as he carried her to the box filled bedroom.

)

"I can't believe you didn't talk him out of it," Kyouko complained, dunking a French fry in ketchup. She and Kanae had decided to pick up some fast food for their girl's night since there would be no one around to tell them not to eat the French fries or greasy burgers. It had been way too long since they'd last eaten anything that wasn't remotely unhealthy.

Kanae gave her a mild glare. "And I can't believe you didn't talk Yashiro out of this inscription," she retorted, holding up her engagement ring.

"But I've got to admit he has good taste."

"Better than your man's," the silver eyed actress muttered around her cheeseburger. Her eyes closed in bliss as she chewed. "If my manager could see me now, he'd have a heart attack just thinking about how many calories are in here."

"Same." Kyouko licked her fingers and reached for her own burger. "But you can't tell me you didn't like it at least a little bit."

Kanae didn't reply in favor of taking a big slurp of her vanilla milkshake.

"So did you two do anything _fun_ afterwards?"

The silver eyed actress choke on her drink. Once she could breathe normally again, she speared her so-called best friend with a glare. "Couldn't you have at least waited until I had swallowed?"

Kyouko shrugged. "Couldn't you have talked Kuon out of pretending to be the spirit of St. Valentine?"

"I tried. Did _you_ have 'fun'?"

The amber eyed woman gave her friend coy smile. "We had dessert the next afternoon."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. I think I got an hour—two, tops—of sleep."

Kanae sighed. "I wish Yukihito had that kind of stamina sometimes."

"You could always have him join us in training for that upcoming marathon."

They shared a look of dread over adding insane amounts of exercise to their daily agendas, and went back to enjoying their fast food while they could.


End file.
